Customer Reviews

Michael Schenker Group

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4 star:		(4)
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Oh, if ONLY this album had gotten just a bit more play in these here parts 30 years ago.....it is, arguably, one of the best guitar records ever made, but then again, Michael Schenker's work with UFO was already downright spellbinding (see "Born To Lose" on Obsession for ample evidence; still one of the most plaintive, finest axe solos ever conceived - YES, the man really does deserve every superlative I accord him to describe his playing; the taut, tasty - and I MEAN 'tasty' - textures are like nothing before or since - closest in comparison might be to say it's equal parts Ronnie Montrose, Leslie West and Mick Ronson) but from start to finish, the German-born brother of Scorpions' rhythm guitarist Rudolf and equally musical sister Barbara sets a standard for excellence that simply does NOT let up. Fledgling vocalist Gary Barden, keyboard vet Don Airey, bassist Mo Foster and legendary session drummer Simon Phillips distinguish themselves in coloring the material aptly.

While Michael has wrestled with a lingering reputation for wrecklessness from the Seventies onward (prematurely ending multiple stints in both UFO and the Scorps) the remastering of his debut and its follow-up demonstrates that he very much cares about his work and fans alike. Any complaints about the production on both albums (especially MSG, the second) will likely be forgotten with the first few notes of "Armed and Ready" or "Are You Ready To Rock"; it is clear, loud and full. Schenker's first effort is damned funky ("Feels Like A Good Thing") pounding ("Victim of Illusion", "Into The Arena") rhythmic (his deft yet thundering Nostradamus saga "Cry For The Nations") haunting ("Lost Horizons", the unforgettable lead of which defies description, compares favorably to "Dazed And Confused") and melodic ("Tales Of Mystery") all at once.....you just cannot go wrong with this collection and, to a slightly lesser extent, its follow-up if loud, melodic British rock in keeping with, say, classic and more emotive Rainbow is your thing. Feels like a VERY good thing, indeed!

Michael Schenker's first solo record after he left UFO. This is a classic hard rock cd, a must have for anyone who loves great guitar playing. Songs like, into the arena, lost horizons, armed and ready, bijou pleasurette, and tales of mystery are my favorite of this 9 song disc. I must say the production of this cd makes Judas Priest's British steel sound like " The Wall (Bob Ezrin)". Cry for the nations opening keyboard line sounds like it was recorded on a 12 inch casio. Outside of that song Schenkers gift for writting makes up for the production errors. Just like Uli Roth " early scorpions " Al De'meola, Michael Schenker was one of the first neo-classical players on the scene.

this cd is still great 29 years after it,s release in 1980!michael had just left the scorpions after some of the love drive tour and before that he left ufo as they were mixing the excellent strangers in the night double live master piece album,when in ufo on the obsession tour his flying v was all white..soon after that he created the famous two tone black and white trade mark flying v by the time he was back with the scorpions on the love drive tour...any way this debut album by schenker is chock full of classics such as;armed and ready,cry for the nations,victim of illusion,feels like a good thing and the instrumental into the arena the remastering is very good and the bonus tracks are interesting for the schenker fan this album is a must!

This is a pretty good album from Michael Schenker; if you're a fan of his days with UFO chances are that you will like this. For fans of keyboardist Don Airey (like myself) he plays on this album, though there are no standout moments or real keyboard leads. There are many guitar leads, however, and good ones. There is not really a weak song on this album, and the bonus tracks are very interesting: 5 hard-rocking early demos that almost sound better than the actual album! You also get two live tracks which are good performances. The major detractor to this CD is the sound quality--it seems as though the record was just produced badly--don't expect a masterful remaster like the UFO reissue series, it sounds much worse than those. However, its a good album, and as far as I know there are no other available editions of it, so you have to get this one if you want it. I still enjoy listening to it, though it's not the best remaster. I wouldn't let it stop you if you're a fan.

You haven't heard this album until you've heard this version! I had the U.S., the Japanese, and the prior British remaster--none of them compare to the perfection of sound finally achieved on this version. Even the lp never sounded this good. The clarity of the instruments is astonishing. Schenker is my favorite guitarist, but I was never totally blown away by this album--until now.

I bought all of the first four MSG studio album remasters, which were done by the same person who also recently did the amazing UFO remasters. In my opinion, they are equally good. In fact, the recent MSG and UFO re-releases are probably the best "remasters" I have ever heard (and I have a lot), as well as the best music purchases I have made in a very long time.

i bought this album in 1980 when it first came out, and the songs are excellent, but i've always felt the production was pretty weak.

i think roger glover is a good producer but i almost feel like he sabotaged michael's first album because it was competing with rainbow's "down to earth" record which he produced shortly before this came out. (that album sounded great!)

anyway, this is worth picking up just for the extra songs. the live versions of "armed and ready" and "into the arena" are awsome, as well as the other live songs. the studio songs are demos i guess but are pretty interesting.

this album was a great start to a career that kind of got side tracked by poor management, line up changes, and substance abuse problems.

the michael schenker group's self titled album has been extended with some B sides as compared to the previous album.schenker is on the best in this cd.Highly recommended.

Not only is this another remaster of Schenker's best album but included is Schenker's original 5 song demo tape which is the most interesting thing about this. "After Midnight" is the music for "Feels Like A Good Thing" but with different words, a somewhat slower version of "Looking Out From Nowhere" and three other songs that were unreleased. The best one is the Scorpionsish "Get Up Get Down". Also included are the b-sides to the "Cry For the Nations" single. Also the new remasters have inner artwork of old original newspaper articles about Schenker. Well worth the money. If you only buy one of the six remasters, buy this one.

I bought this album in the early 80's on vinyl and wore it out! i even wore out the casstte too! This is a strong record from start to finish...it showcases all of Michael Schenker's talents...his lead work & his solos. Although every one of his records (even his Scorpions & UFO days) are strong releases, this is the best out of all of them. i highly recommend this for anyone who is into guitar oriented heavy rock & as the perfect album for those that are just getting into Schenker......it is a must have!

Man what an exciting time the early 1980's were for heavy metal! New bands, old bands, solo acts with metal veterans were all plying their trade with similar power and success that made this era really a golden age for heavy rock. No hard rock musician had a more sensational debut than Michael Schenker in the summer of 1980. No one questioned Michael's talent, only his temperament and in the beginning the latter never overshadowed the former. It must have been bitter sweet for UFO fans that not only had Schenker's debut to salivate over but also the vastly underrated `No Place to Run' record by Mogg, Way and company. This was almost the same situation as the Sabbath/Ozzy parallel without the hype or commercial success but with equally artistic triumphs. Michael's solo debut, produced by Roger Glover is littered with great hard rock songs and nothing he would do later would surpass his initial effort though `MSG' his second, comes closet. Michael worked with mostly session musicians here including the incomparable Simon Philips, rock vet Don Airey and new comer Gary Barden, who would form a more lasting working relationship with the mercurial guitarist. Favorites are without a doubt opener "Armed and Ready" which instantly became one of my all-timers. "Lost Horizons", "Cry for the Nations" and "Victim of Illusion" rivals anything from his UFO days. "Horizons" is an epic; Michael's "Stargazer" or "Kashmir" is just has that something that makes it a classic hard rock masterpiece. "Into the Arena" became Michael's show stopping solo piece although it is a true song with all musicians turning in top notch performances. Anybody who has the vaguest interest in the Mad Axeman, the blond demon with the Gibson Flying V then they need to get the initial release from the ill-fated Michael Schenker Group; an album that belongs with all the greats from the magical year of 1980...I need you now like I never did before...